HarbourCats player updates - NWAC edition

Jamie Umbinetti

Week Four of Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) action has just wrapped up, so let’s get you caught up on the 2015 HarbourCats who play at that level.  

Third baseman Jamie Umbinetti has continued to get on base for Edmonds Community College at an incredible pace. Over the last couple of weeks, Umbinetti has gone 5-for-19 at the plate with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored. He also drew six more walks to give him an impressive .509 on-base percentage. For the season, he is hitting .289 with one home run and six RBI, although he’s still looking for his first double of the year. We’re expecting Umbinetti’s power numbers to return to their normal level in the coming weeks.

Zander Clouse

After two outstanding relief appearances to open the season, Zander Clouse was moved into the Bellevue College starting rotation on March 10th and he has seized the opportunity. Clouse posted a pair of solid starts last week and then followed those up with a dominant outing on Saturday against Treasure Valley Community College. The sophomore from Everett, Washington only gave up two hits and a walk in eight scoreless innings, striking out an impressive nine batters en route to his third consecutive win. Clouse now sports a miniscule 0.40 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 22 ⅓ innings on the hill this season and he has held opponents to a .130 batting average. While his 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings is in line with his past numbers, we’re pleased to see that Clouse has reduced his walk rate to a solid 2.8 batters per nine. The Bulldogs, who currently have a 13-5 record, will play their first conference games next weekend when they take on Jamie Umbinetti and the Edmonds CC Tritons in a four-game series.

Freshman Curtis Bafus of Everett CC had the first starting assignment of his college career on Sunday and it was a stellar performance. Bafus allowed only one unearned run on four hits in a six-inning outing against Clark College. The 6-7 right-hander struck out seven and walked only one batter. He now has a solid 2.38 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 11 ⅓ innings pitched.

Kyle Francis continues to battle control issues in his freshman season with Everett Community College, much like he did in high school. Francis gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks in a six-inning start against Pierce College today. Although he sports a tidy 2.21 ERA in his three starts this season, his generous walk rate has inflated his WHIP to a worrisome 1.45. Unless Francis can improve upon his 5.3 walks per nine innings, look for that flattering ERA to start climbing.

After a slow start with the bat, Francis has seen fewer plate appearances over the last couple of weeks. That might change soon, however, as Francis has gone 5-for-11 with three RBI of late to raise his batting average to .226 on the season. Although he has been used in the DH role for most of his 31 at-bats, Francis has also seen a bit of playing time in right field.  

First baseman John Naff continues to struggle at the plate for the Everett CC Trojans, as the sophomore went 2-for-13 over the last couple of weeks to extend his lengthy slump. Naff is hitting .152 with one homer and an RBI in 46 at-bats this season. I have said it before and I'll say it again: I'm expecting the perennial .300 hitter to break out in a big way sometime soon.

Pierce College’s Matt Fish was scheduled to get the start against Clark College today, but the box score from that game is not currently available. In the previous week, Fish started twice and gave up 11 hits and four earned runs in 6 ⅔ innings pitched. The sophomore has been a shadow of himself in the first three weeks of this season, and he entered this weekend with an ugly 5.29 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. Look for Fish to rebound in a big way in the near future.